Chef Manager

Overview Salary Range: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 Position Type: Full-Time Exempt Shift: Day Position Summary The Chef Manager at The Fortune Society plays a critical leadership role within the Fortune Fresh team, overseeing culinary operations while advancing community wellness, workforce development, and nutrition education initiatives. This position combines high-level food service management with community-centered culinary programming designed to support formerly incarcerated individuals, low-income communities, and diverse populations across New York City. Core Competencies Mission and Fit: Embodies Fortune's mission and values; exhibits compassion for participants and upholds the organization’s commitment to non-judgmental support. Culinary Operations & Food Service Management: Expertise in overseeing high-volume food service operations, menu execution, food safety compliance, inventory management, staffing, and quality control across multiple sites. Community Engagement & Workforce Development: Builds meaningful relationships with diverse populations through culturally responsive culinary programming, mentorship, teaching kitchens, and workforce development initiatives. Leadership & Team Development: Leads, trains, and motivates multidisciplinary teams, fostering collaboration, accountability, professionalism, and continuous learning. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Oversee daily food service operations across multiple locations, ensuring efficiency, consistency, food quality, and compliance with all NYC DOHMH food safety regulations and NYC Food Standards. Manage food production, inventory, ordering, vendor coordination, kitchen organization, and distribution activities. Recruit, supervise, train, mentor, and evaluate kitchen staff, interns, fellows, and volunteers participating in Food and Nutrition programs. Develop and maintain standardized recipes, production procedures, and portion controls to support quality assurance, operational consistency, and waste reduction. Collaborate with the Food and Nutrition team to design culturally relevant, nutritious, and budget-conscious menus that accommodate diverse dietary needs and preferences. Lead and support nutrition-focused culinary programming including teaching kitchens, cooking demonstrations, workshops, and community engagement activities. Promote health and wellness through culturally responsive culinary education, nutrition messaging, and participant-centered food experiences. Support workforce development initiatives by mentoring formerly incarcerated individuals and other program participants pursuing culinary and food service career pathways. Coordinate and support produce distribution activities, special events, catering functions, and cross-departmental Food and Nutrition initiatives. Maintain accurate operational and compliance documentation including HACCP logs, inventory records, production records, scheduling, and other administrative responsibilities as required. Perform other duties as assigned. Qualifications Culinary degree or relevant certification from a recognized culinary institution. NYC Food Handlers certification required. ServSafe certification preferred, but not required. In-depth knowledge of various cooking techniques, ingredients, and cuisines. Strong leadership and managerial abilities to oversee kitchen operations effectively. 35 years' experience in supervising and leading a team of culinary professionals. Excellent communication skills to interact with kitchen staff, management, and other team members. Ability to convey instructions clearly and foster a positive work environment. Comfortable using Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.). Strong organizational skills to manage kitchen logistics, including ordering, scheduling, and distribution. Commitment to maintaining exceptional standards of food quality, cleanliness, and safety including strong knowledge of NYCDOMH standards. Experience in training and mentoring culinary staff to enhance their skills and performance. Knowledge of budgeting processes and cost control measures to ensure financial objectives are met. Travel Requirements Travel across the five boroughs is required for supervision of meal programs at residential locations. Physical Demands Ability to lift boxes of food and beverages up to 50 lbs. The responsibilities and requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensing, experience, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Equal Opportunity Employer The Fortune Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of conviction history, race, religion/creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status or marital status. #J-18808-Ljbffr